Rotary drier



C. MILLER ROTARY DRIER Aug. 2,1927. a I I 1,637,831

Filed March 7, 1925 2 Sheets-Sheet 1.

ATTORNEY Aug. 2, 1927. 1,637,831

C. MILLER ROTARY DRIER Filed March v, 1925 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 INVENTOR Patented Aug. 2, 1927.

serum TFEICE.

CHARLES MILLER, or LONG ISLAND CITY, new YORK.

ROTARY DRIER.

Application filed March 7,1925. Serial No. 13,763.

. This invention relates more particularly to a class of apparatus for depriving--:arti cles *and inaterials of moisture.

My inventionhas for its object pirmarily to provide a drier of a rotative classdesigned for employing currents of air for "drying footwearwhen moistened in the customary process of lasting th'e' up'pers, in

order to save the timeusually consumed by having its egress passage disposed away from the adv'ancingipassage of the intake, in order that the discharge of the air through the outlet will cause with the rotation of the chamber 'an'efi'ectual circulation for quickly extracting'moisture from the articles within the chamber. v

Other objects of the invention are to pro vide' across the interior superposed racks each including spaced parallel bars with each from toward the next adjacent bars for permitting the lasted'uppersof footwear when moistened to be carried thereon in inverted positions to. provide power driven means for rotating the chamber; and to provide a rotary drierof a simple, efficient- 'and'd'urable of one form of rotary. drier'embodying my invention.

its interior a chamber,

and on the shape pipe having a intake-or pipe is curved to conform approximately *the chamben-and the pipe is disposed with flared ingress *end in the direction of rotaconstruction which may be made in appro- In "the drawing, Figure 1 is an elevation 2 isga top plan, partly sectional, of the drier.

Fig.8 is a sectional'view,fpartlyinelevation, taken through the drier, and ,7 I

' Fig. 4 1s a sectional view, partly indetail,

; taken 011 the line 45-4 of Fig, 8.

The drier has a casing -10-providing on and this casing [0r chamber may be ofany suitable size and shape, though shown has a cylindrical side wall 11,a bottom wall 12 andatopwall 13. In the sidewall 11 18 a door closed entrance. 14. -The chamber 10 is rotatablysupported on a frame 15 which may be composedbf an annular track or raceway 16 of-a diameter approximatelyslmilar to the diameter of the chamber, and this track may be, supported at a suitable height by a number of.

legs or standards, as 17. On the bottom wall 12 of the chamber are a number of spaced wheels 18 which are revolvable on the track 16 to enablethe chamber to be freely rotated, top wall 13 of the chambermay also be an upwardly protruding stud 19 which is journaled in a suitable bea-ring20 provided on any appropriate support, as 21, i

above the chamber. I

At the lower part of 'the'chamb'er or leadthrough part of the lower end of its bottom wall 12 is an intake 22 for ingress of I e v v air-into thechamber, and this intake is prefba'r' having spaced lugs 'plOillUCllIlg there-j erably somewhat of the'form of a funnel flared free end; This to'the curvature of the side wall of tion of the chamber so that Whenthe chamber is revolved the air admitted into the chamber through the intake will :be partly compressed. l 'At'the upper part of the'chamber or leading through partof the upper endof itsside wall 11 opposite to the intake 22 is'an outlet 23also preferably of somewhat the form'of a funnel shape pipe having a flared free end. This outlet pipe is curved to'con'form substantially to the curvature of the side wall of the chamber, and the withits egress end away from the advancing ingress end of the intake 22 for discharging the form of the chamber lOO pipe is :disposedv jopposed lugs of the next the air admitted through the intake into and circulated through the chamber during its rotation.

Within the chamber 10 are a number of spaced superposed racks 24c disposed across the chamber for supporting moistened lasted uppers of footwear,or other articles or materials for being dried. These racks may be similarly formed, and each rack includes a number of bars or rods 25 in spaced paral lel relation, and each bar of eachrack is provided with spaced fingers or lugs, as 26, 26 which protrude in opposite lateral directions toward the next adjacent bars. The bars of each rack are ofrelative lengths so that they terminate 'on a line corresponding 'to" the curvature or shape of the side wall 11 of the chamber. The bars 25 of each rack are also of lengths so that the racks removably fit closely inthe chamber, and the ends of the bars of the racks are supported upon annu lar brackets, or ledges or flanges, as 27, which 'are'fixed inspaced superposed relation on the inner face of the side wall of the chamber. The bars of each rack are spaced from each other, and the lugs 26, 26 are of lengths for spacing their free ends from the adjacent bars to permit moistened lasted uppers, as A, of shoes to1be removab'ly supported therebe tween in inverted positions, as shown, for subjecting the uppers to the drying influence of the currents of air circulated through the chamber. a

The chamber 10 with its contents may be revolved by any appropriate means, though in the drawings I employ a form of mechanism, as 2-8. The mechanism 28 includes a bevel gear29 which is fixed on the central part of the underside of the bottomwall 12 of the chamber." Meshing with the bevel gear 2.) is another bevel gear 30 heldon the driveshaft 31 of a motor 32 adapted to be driven from any suitable source of electrical and the motor and shaft" may be supported on a bracket,as 33, which. one of the standards 17 of' energy, not shown,

is provided on the frame 15. The bracket may be ofsomewhat a U-shape with one of its arm, as 34;, 'carryingthe motor, and on the other arm 35 of the bracket is a bearing 36 in which the central part of the shaftiof the motor is. viournaled. i

When the motor 32 is operated accordingly,

the shaft 31 will be driven to operate the miter gears 29, 30, and the chamber 10 with its contentswil'l be rotated in a direction for causing air to be admitted into the chamber through the intake 22, and with the rotation of the chamber-the air willbe discharged through the outlet 23. As illustrated in the drawing th'e outlet 23wis preferably positioned at an opposite part of the upper" por- 1..tion of the chamber to the position of them U take 22 for causing the currents of air to such changes as fairly thereof.

circulate circuitously in the chamber before the discharge through the outlet for quickly and effectually chamber.

In the foregoing description, I have emparting from the principle or'sacrificing any i oftheadvantagesof this invention, therefore, I reserve to myself the right to make fall within the scope Having thus described'iny invention, I

drying the contents of the E il claim as nevi and desire to secure by Letters 1. In a drying apparatus, a rotatable chamber having asubstantially cylindrical side wall, means'providing only at the lower end of the wall anintake having its ingress passage extendmg tion of the chamber, and IHBaIIS'PI'OVIdIIIg only at the upper end of the wall an air outlet having its egress passage disposedaway from the advancing intake whereby air-will in the direction of rotabe caused to circulate in anupWardEcir-W cuito us course through the chamber.

2. The apparatusof thetcharacterset forth in claim 1., wherein the side wall is provided with a door for admitting articles into the chamber, wherein the elements are supported to travel on a traclnand wherein the elements are provided with power driven means.

3. In a drying apparatus, a rotatable side wall, an approximately funnel. shape intake pipe leading intothedower end of the sidewall with itsflared ingress end disposed in the direction of rotation of the chamber for partly compressing the air admitted into the chamber, and an approxi caused to circulate 'inian upward circuitous course through the chamber.

4:. The-apparatus of the character set forth invclaim 3, wherein the side Wall is provided with a door for admitting articles.

intothe chamber, wherein; the elements are provided with ineansto travel on' atrack, and wherein power drivenmeans.

5, 1A drying apparatus, comprisingja stationary annular track supported at an ele-' vation, a rotary chamber having a'bottom the elements are provided with chamber having a substantially cylindrical wall, a cylindrical side Wall and an upper wall, wheels mounted on the] bottomvwall a driven shaft, gearing on the bottom wall operative by the shaft for rotating the chamof the chamber and revolvable on the track, V

her, an approximately funnel shaped intake end disposed away from the advancing inpipe leading into the lower end of the side gress end of the intake pipe whereby the air 10 Wall with its flared ingress end disposed in Will be caused to circulate in an upward cirthe direction of rotation of the chamber for cuitous course through the chamber.

5 partly compressing the air admitted into the This specification signed this 6th day of chamber, and an approximately funnel March, A. D. 1925. V shaped outlet pipe leading through the uph per end of the side Wall With its flared egress CHARLES MILLER. 

